Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: NHL-Talk

This is not an out-of-the-blue development, but all indications are Eric Lindros will finally get around to announcing his retirement in his hometown of London, Ont., when he will be part of a news conference with University of Western Ontario sports injury guru, Dr. Peter Fowler, on Thursday afternoon.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen very often. But every once in a while, the National Hockey League does something that deserves praise rather than the usual deluge of criticism that rains down day after day.

Needless to say, it involves commissioner Gary Bettman only peripherally. There’s not much that Bettman does that is worthy of praise.

But in allowing Colin Campbell, his director of hockey operations, a fairly free hand to try to reshape the game, Bettman stayed out of the picture long enough to do something to improve the league.

The product that MacLean knocks was in full view on Saturday. Seen in most markets, the Toronto Maple Leafs-Montreal Canadiens game, in which five goals were scored, was fast-paced, never dull and produced plenty of scoring chances.

Before the crackdown started in 2005-06, MacLean predicted the players would never adjust. Well, despite the officials continuing to call the game closely — too closely, many would say — restraining fouls are down 21 per cent from last year.

It looks as if the much-anticipated Peter Forsberg comeback has hit a bump in the road.

According to two independent Swedish ice hockey sources, Forsberg left the first day of practice for Sweden’s national team that will compete later this week in the Karjala Cup after about an hour, saying his problematic ankle wasn’t holding up.

“Putting the whole thing together was kind of Rubik’s Cube-ish,” [Steve] Williamson, 49, said last Monday from his seat at Madison Square Garden, where he watched the Rangers defeat the Lightning in the fourth game of his whirlwind tour. “But this is one of those rare N.H.L. seasons where everything on the schedule lined up perfectly for me.”

Williamson, the promotions manager for the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, spent 48 hours working on his itinerary, calling it “a travel agent’s worst nightmare.” He will enter and leave Canada three times before ending his monthlong vacation Nov. 24 in Tampa, Fla., where Tampa Bay is host to the Devils.

Include NHL players in the group not happy with the soaring Canadian dollar and weakened U.S. dollar. For years, Canadian players were quite content about the lower Canadian dollar because their salaries were paid out in U.S. currency. The European players also found their bank accounts had more value when they returned home for the summer.

There was the odd player, who was paid in Canadian currency, but not after the most recent collective agreement that was put in place in August 2005.

11.17 of the current collective agreement reads: Currency. All standard player contracts must provide compensation in U.S. currency for NHL salaries and bonuses. Minor league compensation may be in the native currency of the NHL club.

Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and Minnesota Wild right wing Marian Gaborik have been named the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending November 4.

For the second consecutive year, the NHL-All Star Fan Balloting process will be entirely digital. From Nov. 13 through Jan. 2, fans around the world can “Vote Now, Vote Often” for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Star starters for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game online at NHL.com. In addition, U.S. fans also can cast votes through Verizon Wireless cell phones….

“Due to the tremendous response from our fans around the world during last year’s All-Star balloting, the completely digital platform is back,” said Brian Jennings, NHL Executive Vice President, Marketing. “Our fans will have the ability to cast their votes for the starting NHL All-Star line-up as often as they like.”